1. P a g e 1 A r ti s a n sQ u a r t e rl yR e v i ewArtisans Quarterly ReviewH A N D C R A F T E D C U S T O M W O O D W O R K I N GE d i t o r sM e d i a B l i t z2011 on Air Q3!Editors Media Blitz This issue is going to be somewhat media centric. Weve been in theArtisans & Animal Planetnewspapers, blogs, featured on an assortment of our affiliates websites,Tanked Airtimes AND were on TV! The media is an interesting animal to care for;Artisans gets Tankedweve been feeding this creature for a while hoping it will grow as weThe Sea Chest Bed nourish it with stories from our lives and tales of our artistic adventures.The RevealFeatures include articles in The Times, The Hopewell Valley News,The Blending of Art & Winecustommade.com, lumberjocks.com, finewoodworking.com, Horton-Horton Brasses Hand Hammered Hardwarebrasses.com, Waterlox.com, www.acrylicaquariums.com,AnimalFeatures of ArtisansPlanets Tanked, and whats pending well thats a surprise soWrong about the Princess?stick around!Silver Clay & Turquoise StonesBrowns Upholstery2011 has brought us good luck with publicity as well as fun projects andBuilding the Sea Chest Bednew opportunities. We always have a lot more in the works, as its beenTHE MAGGIE B. said before this is NOT the last youll hear from us! Were ripe forWaterlox Finishes the Sea Chest reality TV! We have the cast of characters, the interesting projects, theA Little Wax for the Wear ironic events, adventures are constant, and were certainly aIts All About the Fish dysfunctional family chuck full of whit and banter! So what network isNancy Glass Productionsinterested in picking up a show called American Artisans ???BenSalz ProductionsThanks for Getting us TankedA r t i s a n s& A n i m a lP l a n e t !You Know Klise is InvolvedOn behalf of Artisans of the Valley I would like to thank Acrylic TankWillard Brothers Lumber Manufacturing, Nancy Glass Productions in association with BenSalzW.C. Forge & The Sign Smith Productions and The Animal Planet Network for offering us theKitten Adoption Updatesopportunity to participate in their television series Tanked. We spent aNoodlers First Swimday in New York back in April and got to meet the cast and crew; ofClosing Notescourse being able to assist in presenting the finished project to Chillewas, as artists, a fulfilling experience.Our work is often appreciated and admired, and we gain a personalsatisfaction from creating heirlooms, but lets face it, its furniture! Howtruly excited can anyone be? Its a rare opportunity for us to have adirect and positive impact on a childs life; this was definitely a projectwell remember.We timed the release of this newsletter with the premier week ofTanked, so make sure you catch it one of the pending airtimes thisweek to get the full story! T a n k e d A i r t i m e s ! The Premier Episode airs August 19, 2011 - at 9:00pm EST Five New Episodes Air Weekly every Friday night at 9:00pm EST Artisans of the Valley is featured in Episode Five on September 9th! All on whatever channel your cable carrier chose for Animal Planet! Chille Clark bottom left in the front of the group.

2. P a g e 2 A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ewA r t i s a n s G e t s T a n k e d Back in April we had the privilege of meeting Wayde King and Brett Raymer, owners of Vegas based Acrylic Tank Manufacturing, onset in Manhattan. Our crew, Eric Saperstein, Michael Pietras, and Dana Oxenberg delivered a Sea Chest Bed commissioned tocoordinate with a fish tank taking on the theme of The Maggie B. a nationally known childrens story.Wayde & Brett are at the helm of an amazing operation, and are the stars of Animal Planets new summer reality series Tanked.Its great to be included with the adventures of a family business, but the day gets really interesting when you are mingling in areality TV dysfunctional family The jokes, the mocks, and the banter on set will make for entertaining episodes; shark sticks(mop handles) and sleeping on the couch for a year, watch the promo itll make sense. Behind the drama, the underlying feeling ofwelcome makes it obvious these guys are a creative and caring family, driven to produce and deliver not only the most amazingaquariums youve ever seen but an array of mind boggling water features, pools, terrariums, and enclosures.These are not your typical fish tanks. And these are not your typical fish tank builders. Welcome to the world ofTANKED! Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM), owned by Wayde King and Brett Raymer, is not only the mostsuccessful, but probably the most outrageous tank manufacturer in America. They are brothers-in-law, businesspartners, best friends, and constant rivals. Joined by Waydes wife Heather, and Bretts father, "The General", thisis one big dysfunctional family. Housed in a "State of the Art" 15,000 sq. ft. facility located in the center of LasVegas, every year, ATM takes on more than 200 projects. They build tanks inside restaurants, casinos, banks,hotels, museums and zoos from 50 to an endless capacity. They build tanks for celebrities and ordinary Joes.Theyve created tanks in the shape of pyramids, spheres hexagons, and even, the female anatomy. They are filledwith the most exotic...and dangerous fish around. Their business is fish, and business is good. - http://press.discovery.com/us/apl/programs/tanked/We cant even begin to show off the amazing work of Wayde and Bretts crew of artisans in our newsletter, but heres a preview.Check out http://www.acrylicaquariums.com/ or better yet watch Tanked! Were excited to see the series air, and of course werelooking forward to see if weve made it on national TV!This Tank Maintained by ATM 3. P a g e 3A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl yR e v i ew T h eS e a C h e s t B e d Artists are driven by a desire to be unique; to create and bring to life areflection of their individuality. Commissioned artists derive theirinspiration from a set of requirements defined by the client. Artisansreceived a call from Nancy Glass Productions regarding a commissionfor a reality TV show based on fish tanks; specifically a project based onthe childrens story The Maggie B.Our first thoughts were, Ok you want a stand for a fish tank right? Well,no Lindsay Bonsall, one of the shows producers explained that a childwould be laying in a bed positioned under a fish tank anchored aboutfive feet off the floor and configured to look like the side of a boat. Shethen added that this fish tank manifestation of the THE MAGGIE B.boasts a magical portal; this is an acrylic bottom boat!It took a little imagination to visualize exactly what Lindsay wasdescribing, but we caught on. Design a childs bed that provides comfort,storage, function, and package it with a nautical theme. We decided togo with a sea chest, one that converts into a bunk to enjoy and fantasizeabout adventures at sea. Were going to leave out the details of therecipient of this amazing creation; youll have to watch the show for therest of that story.So, our solid cherry Sea Chest Bed houses four drawers, a mattress,storage space for planks to convert to a table, anda custom ladder for easy access to the bunk. Thepiece rests on four locking casters to allow easypositioning.Our Jewelry Organization Consultant, DanaOxenberg, jumped in and demonstrated her eye forcolor by picking out the fabric. We passed thematerial to Richard and Randy Brown of BrownsUpholstery to create a custom made mattress andbedding.Chille Clark pointing up in the front of the group. 4. P a g e 4 A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ew T h e R e v e a l Made-for-TV projects always have a twist, are usually fast tracked, and often involve an assortment of characters andrequirements. For this project, our design was conceived with no direct interaction with the client. The recipient was strictlyprohibited from seeing any of the actual designs and pieces until the final reveal; which took place April 2011 at their home inManhattan. After all, good television requires a little drama and a little suspense right?Whats a Reveal? The delivery of a finished project in reality TV has become known as The Reveal. A television or movieproduction set is chaotic, when its a real time on location (out of the studio) taping its organized mayhem. Reality TV now givesus a window into the anxiety and suspense involved in real life. Youve now been introduced to custom motorcycles, tattoos,cakes, guns, taxidermy, hot rods, and the term picking.Our spin: American Artisans If they had had a camera crew following us along the way to deliver the Sea Chest Bed, wed havehad a complete hour long Seinfeld-style episode! Side track missions to post offices in Secaucus that turned out to be boarded upbuildings, arguments over parking (Interlude: OK so Dana earned $150 towards her keep by tracking down an NYPD officer toinquire what the fine is for parking a truck on a curb in NYC. Eric finally gave in and moved the truck. Are you happy Dana? Nowthe whole world, or at least our readers, knows that you were right.)Once we found the site of the reveal, we then began our adventure to find a bagel: so off we go spending an hour looking for a delithat turned out to be a furniture store! (Interlude II: This wild goose chase was based on Danas intel just sayin.) We then foundourselves pushing the bed down the streets of Manhattan along the crowded sidewalks, and finally wrestling it into the apartment.Anyway, back to the main story. So cast and crew and all of us extras are now crammed into a townhouse along with the familywho is quarantined in a small front room with all the windows blacked out. Yes, thats right the production crew even blacked outtheir windows to avoid anyone getting a view of the parts and pieces of the project being brought in! Also keep in mind, piles ofinsulated boxes containing salt water fish that arrived via overnight express were stacked in the hallways awaiting completion oftheir new home.The tank was brought in, assembled, filled, lit, allthe life support systems setup, as well as theinstallation of the faade, decorations, and theplacement of the Sea Chest Bed. All within thesame day it was revealed to the family! 5. P a g e5A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ew J o i n u s a t H o p e w e l lV a l l e y V i n e y a r d s f o r a n e v e n t e n t i t l e d T h eB l e n d i n g o f A r t & W i n e Award winning winemakers Sergio & Violetta Neri and Master Craftsmen Eric M.Saperstein of Artisans of the Valley & independent artist Michael Pietras extend aninvitation to the community and local artisans to join them on the grounds of HopewellValley Vineyards for the Delaware River Valley Wine Trail Event The Blending of Art &Wine on September 10th & 11th, 2011.The Neri family brings their Italian heritage of winemaking and a love of art to our Valleyby creating a Tuscan winery with a rustic, cozy atmosphere perfect for relaxing andsampling wines. Their tasting room features a wood burning stove, a copper wine barand lots of large windows to enjoy sipping wine and enjoying the views of the vineyard.You could also take a stroll onto their deck to bring the wine tasting experience outside.Hopewell Vineyards is a prime example of how modern farming techniques ensure openspace can be preserved, productive, and available to the community.The studios of Artisans of the Valley are nestled into Hopewell Township and have been an icon of the community for over 35years. Artisans will be onsite with wide variety of fellow artists and craftsmen providing demonstrations and windows into theirportfolios. Anticipate some new and unexpected pieces from Artisans; the debut of their new modern art line will take place at thisevent! Stop at the vineyards for a preview starting August 13th to check out one of Artisans amazing New Wave Gothic diningtables and for a glimpse into the lineage of craftsmen behind their artwork through an illuminated manuscript proclaiming thepedigree of Artisans Eric M. Saperstein. Participating Members of The Delaware River Valley Wine Trail Hopewell Valley Vineyards Old York CellarsTurhune OrchardsUnionville WinerySeptember 10th/11th of 2011 * Hours are 12pm 5pm both days * Vineyards Address: 46 Yard Road, Pennington, NJ 08534 Admission is free to artists & the general public!Artisans please contact Artisans of the Valley for information on displaying or demonstrating.Wine, Brick Oven Artisan Pizza, & Cheese/Crackers are available for purchase at the event! Meanwhile visit the Vineyards anysummer Friday / Saturday evening for wine, brick oven pizza, and live music!For more details about Hopewell Valley Vineyards Visit: www.hopewellvalleyvineyards.comDownload The Event Flyer: http://www.artisansofthevalley.com/docs/Blending_of_Art_and_Wine_2011.pdf Participating Artists as of September 7th, 20111. Eric M. Saperstein of Artisans of the Valley2. Stanley D. Saperstein of Artisans of the Valley3. Michael Pietras; Woodworker 4.Kurt Tazelaar; Painter5. Peter Lawrence; Peter Lawrence Woodworkers6. Charles Maxwell; Clock Maker7. Wayne Ouldcott; Artisan Woodworking 8. Henry Schweber; Photographer9. Bob Eigenrauch; Chainsaw Carver 10. Rein Triefeldt; Kinetic Artist11. Willard Brothers; Woodworkers12. Wendy Sturgeon; Artist13. Thomas Whinstance; Winstance Woodart 14. Ru Amagasu; Woodworker15. Birdie Miller; Custom Cabinet Maker16. Arlene Freed; Jewelry ArtistArtisans Pre-Show Display at17. Johanna Furst; Painter 18. Roddy Benson; WoodworkerHopewell Vineyards.19. Eric Hendrickson; Modern Metal Work20. Steve Walton; Box MakerOur Friends from Trenton Animal Shelter will be onsite on Saturday September 10th to offeranimals ready for adoption! They will also be accepting donations of any excess pet supplies youmay have on hand, and of course monetary donations are very much needed and appreciated!Come visit Hopewell Vineyards to adopt a dog or cat! 6. P a g e 6A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ewH o r t o n B r a s s e s H a n d H a m m e r e d H a r d w a r eOrion Henderson, President of Horton Brasses came through, as he always does, withhigh quality custom hardware for our special Tanked project. Horton provided eighthand hammered rope twist pulls, four for the drawers and four slightly larger ones tofunction as chest handles. Horton also supplied their custom pyramid head periodscrews and custom iron corner caps.We regularly use Hortons hardware on a our commissions and restorations, as well asan assortment of their pyramid head screws and cut nails. Horton offers a variety ofstock and custom hardware suitable for use on period and modern furniture.Visit: http://www.horton-brasses.com F e a t u r e so fA r t i s a n sThose of you in NJ watch closely The Times of NJ will have a feature article by Artisans of theValley. Entertainment reporter Joyce Persico visited our shop for an interview back in April;weve had to keep this story under wraps until now! Weve been looking forward to seeing heraccount of our place in the world, and of our covert Sea Chest Bed project.If youre out of range of our local paper, check it out at www.njtimes.com for the story. Wellupdate our newsletter to include a direct link as soon as its available!P e r h a p s W e W e r e W r o n g A b o u t T h e P r i n c e s s ? In our last issue we featured our Dana engaged in a bit of manual labor, we negated her JAP (Jewish American Princess) claims and committed her to her destiny of being more of a hick than a JAP. Many of you seemed to enjoy this, but several people commented that knowing Erics sense of humor and irony, something of a one-eighty was to come around the next bend. In this case youd be right! Eric had a plan to represent Miss Dana in a little different light in this issue.Dana, for those of you that havent been following her, is a beach chick. So logically the plan for theiranniversary was get Dana setup on a romantic beach! Erics plan, pick out a luxury all-inclusive resort; andyoud figure this would be met with excitement and enthusiasm, but for some reason Danas are resistant tomigrating somewhere warm while it is warm right here at home. OK, so the logic behind this isnt flawed butlogic doesnt have to apply to whats right for a romantic event.Sometimes you just gotta take a woman somewhere special; especially one who put up with Eric for a year as of August 14th, thisgirl deserves a reward right? So with some protest by Dana behind them, our young couple was for Secrets Royal Beach PuntaCana. Since were on vacation well limit ourselves to a few photos from our moonlight beach dinner. Check our blog site when wereturn for more great photos from our trip to the Dominican! 7. P a g e 7A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ew S i l v e rC l a y & T u r q u o i s eS t o n e sWhen an artist used to working on unique projects decides its time for a gift to someone theycare about, only something one-of-a-kind will suffice. Our last artist-to-artist commission articlefeatured Erics commission for a custom chefs knife by Jay Fisher; we discussed the technicalaspects of the commission as well as the unique dynamic between two artists developing thesame piece of artwork. This time we (Dana and Eric) worked with jewelry maker Jennifer Smith-Righter (Wearable by Design) to design a made for Dana fine silver and turquoise necklace withthe inclusions and pendant featuring a lily theme; Danas involvement brings an engineer with alittle touch of OCD into the equation.Theres tons of jewelry available on the market, but common mass produced items or evenlimited series pieces just arent suitable when for a gift from a custom craftsman; Eric wants theone-of-a-kind. So the quest for artwork is now initiated. Well spare you the few weeks of googlingand research and summarize the process. Finding the right artist for a task is really 90% of thework involved in the commission process, at least from the clients perspective. If you get thischoice right, the end result will exceed your expectations. Getting it close, but not perfect, wellthats what youll get in the end result as well. Now, if you mess up with your artist selection andthe whole project can fall apart. Interview your artist no matter what the venue; we have beenthe right artist selected AND the wrong artist. So on the flipside, we have learned to interview ourcustomers and at times determine were just not the right fit for their project. Trust an artists instinct when we tell you its not rightand we refer you to someone chances are weve put a reasonable amount of consideration into the recommendation.Eric found Jennifer who specializes in working with silver in the form of precious metal clay. Precious Metal Clay (PMC) is metal in aform that can be manipulated like clay, but once kiln fired (fused) it returns to a state equal to solid silver, gold, or copper. This newstate of matter was developed by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation of Japan arriving in the US in 1996. (Perhaps we just discoveredthe secret of alchemy? Yeah, wouldnt that be nice! Eric has amassed almost 1 ton of solid lead ingots, $4.8M if that worked sigh ) Anyway, we should mention PMC is a green metal, collected entirely by a recycling process using X-ray films and electronicsas a primary source.Jennifer can sculpt and shape what will become sold metal, in our case Danas favorite being silver, into any shape one couldachieve with modeling clay. Danas fetish for lilies inspired this necklace incorporating both the bud and bloom of the flower andaccents of color using natural turquoise. Starting with an initial discussion with Eric, Jennifer developed the initial sketch as shownabove left. From this point the project was revealed to Dana so she could join in the creative process.We focus on clients who want to have a design shared by virtually no one else. Too many designs today arereproduced by the thousands in countries with low-cost labor and poor working conditions. The disadvantagesof this mass produced jewelry are many and the benefits are few.Like all custom projects, it starts with an introduction and a preliminary sketch. Theres a lot of back and forthas the artists begins to understand the desire of the client. And when there are two different clients it can gettricky -- thats three heads to get inside of and swap ideas with! - Jennifer Smith-Righter (Shown Left)Danas guidelines were established; she wanted piece that is lifelike and makes a statementthat is clearly defined, yet be subtle enough to wear every day. Jennifer started on the pendent,first developing the individual lily petals, then securing them into the floral bloom. All of theveins and details are added with lifelike flex and crinkles providing for the realistic appearance.This project was under a strict deadline with a first anniversary looming -- a sandybeach calling and work on the necklace began. But with every new project dreamedup, there are always changes. Some things arent coming out as envisioned in thesketch. Some things need to be adjusted in terms of scale. Some supplies always runshort. The dog gets gravely sick. Theres always something! - Jennifer Smith-Righter 8. P a g e 8A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ewS i l v e r C l a y& T u r q u o i s e S t o n e s & aP r i n c e s sIf you havent noticed, were telling this story from multiple perspectives, so we are intertwining back and forth here a bit betweenErics documentary and Jennifers dialog. This should give you a feeling of how the commissioned artist is establishing the project,while the crazy artist boyfriend (Eric) attempts to mediate and interact to guide the OCD engineer girlfriend (Dana) through theprocess.Being familiar with tight deadlines and knowing theres almost no room for something to go wrong, I knew I had to getextra supplies overnighted days before so that there would be plenty of time to work. Just one miscommunication left mewaiting, literally on the curb for the fex ex package Id managed to track down with a half a dozen phone calls, and twodays behind schedule.I still had 5 hours to finish. I was sure I could do it. With my hands shaking and watching the Rosy the Riveter clock tickaway the hours, Id finished it with 45 minutes to spare on my 6 pm deadline! I boxed up the necklace and raced throughthe infamous Bay Area Rush Hour Traffic to the Fedex shipping center -- not just any Fedex store, but the world wideshipping center! I burst through the doors at 5:47. I made it just in the nick of time. I run to the counter and the guy askswere the packing is going. Back east I tell him. Sorry he tells me, the cut off is 5:45. No exceptions. Nada. It was notgoing to happen. - Jennifer Smith-RighterSo now we have Eric on a mission, bound and determined to get this necklace in time to present it for the pending anniversary.Tenacity is a wonderfully powerful characteristic, for Eric it allows him to achieve what is often considered impossible. As an artistis pushes him in directions that may seem unreasonable, unrealistic, or just insane to attempt. In many cases, he pull it off andachieves the goal.Sometimes though, the simple things are what knock you off the pedestal of invincible. Getting this necklace shipped out to meetthem either before they left at 7:30am on the 13th, or managing to have it meet them in Punta Cana wasnt going to happenwithout spending over $1,000 in shipping and risking the loss of this amazing original artwork. A few hours on the phone withvarious shipping agents, Eric finally submitted to defeat; perhaps with a blessing in the mix. Sometimes things are not meant to be,and the more he spoke with friends and family about the idea of presenting this piece to Dana in the Dominican, the more horrorstories of lost and stolen jewelry and valuables he was told.Jennifers efforts to reach the deadline are not in vein, she through her unbridled desire to exceed her clients expectations pulledwhat will likely be seen as some of her best work to date. So the moral of this story is; Dana will get her amazing necklace when wereturn from our trip. Shell likely have a special meal prepared, maybe alone maybe with family and friends present thats TBD. Thecouple will be together to commemorate a year together, thats what truly matters, not the material objects we present to eachother as tokens of our affection.The experience also reminded Eric, all is not lost when you cant achieve every minor detail all at once. The trip, the time together,the experience of the commission, and even the frustration of missing the arbitrary deadline of delivery will serve as a memory forEric and Dana for the rest of their lives. Oh, and lets not leave out the obvious from the theme of this whole issue. If everythingworks, the story is boring! Were this to be an episode in our reality TV show, the imperfection in this story would make for betterentertainment value than if all was always perfect and well.The artist doesnt always make the deadline, the artist doesnt always make theircustomer happy, the artist, honestly, rarely makes themselves happy as they strive sohard to improve and push their skills and their materials that there is always a better waywe would have or should have handled a project. This can be considered as cancer is toevolution, or it can be considered the means to an ever evolving artistic journey. No artistever truly is a master of all, we are always left with room to learn and improve. The questfor perfection is impossible to achieve, and the unstoppable desire to achieve theimpossible is what makes the greatest artists, well, the greatest artists!Shown right, the net result; Danas personality, Erics insanity and desire to find her theperfect gift, and Jennifers creativity and talent. Well show you how it looks on Dana andprovide a little more insight into Jennifers background and pieces in our next issue! 9. P a g e 9A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ewB r o w n s U p h o l s t e r yOur projects often require an assortment of skills outsidejust woodworking, and a good upholstery artist issomeone to always have on call. Brothers Richard &Randy Brown assembled the fabrics and componentsrequired to custom fit a mattress, sheets, pillow case, andblankets for Chilles one-of-a-kind bunk room.Designed for comfort and durability they wrapped a highdensity foam core with a quilted fabric. Following thenautical theme the flannel sheets and pillow case featurea wavelike pattern. Topping the bunk is a seascape fleeceblanket. Selection of the upholstery and pillows is creditedto Dana Oxenberg.B u i l d i n gt h e S e aC h e s t B e d The Sea Chest Bed was based on the original design we developed for our coffee/chess/wine rack/puzzle box except this timewe built it as a bunk. The majority of the piece is solid cherry, except the deck and bottom which are 3/4 plywood. The drawerbottoms are 1/2 plywood. Construction joints are configured with interlocking tung and grove strips each layer providing aninterlocking finger joint against the opposing corner. The chest is built like a log cabin, including the drawer fronts with a stackedplank look.The inset mattress allows for the surface to be covered over with four removable planks to create a coffee or gaming table. Theplanks store inside the chest above the drawers. The entire unit is sitting on four locking casters to allow easy relocation andaccess to all the storage drawers. The drawers slide on center mounted bearing slides and are chained back to back to allowremoval when required but prevent accidentaldismount.Accent carving includes our favorite handcarved rope, and Klise Manufacturingsquarter round rope and picture framemoldings on the sides, drawer fronts andaround the perimeter of the chest. Finished inMohawk water based stain, a light coat ofamber shellac, and Waterlox Original Tung Oil. 10. P a g e 1 0 A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ewT H E M A G G I E B . So whats the deal with The Maggie B. ?? This is the boat and the book from which the theme for Chilles fantasy fish tank was derived. Author Irene Haas is Chilles aunt. The Maggie B. by Irene Haas is the story of a wish come true. Margaret Barnstable wanted more than anything else to sail for a day, "alone and free with someone nice for company" on a ship named after her. One night, she wished for it on the North Star, and when she woke up she was in the cabin of the The Maggie B, with her small brother James. It was a most wonderful day, with everything she needed. This sumptuously illustrated picture book is available in hardcover at a bookstore near you. Quoted from: http://thencbla.blogspot.com/2010/12/still-shopping-gift-book- suggestions.html The book is available today at most popular bookstores or just pick up a copy from Amazon!W a t e r l o x F i n i s h e sT h e S e a C h e s tHand crafted furniture deserves a hand crafted finish; Waterlox is thepremier microbrew finish. Celebrating their 100th year in 2010,Waterlox remains a family operation. Eric visited the facilities back in2007 and was introduced to the family, the chemists, and theoperations on a personal tour by 3rd generation CEO Jay Hawkins.Artisans has assisted in product testing and review; we have a greatinsight and experience with implementing of microbrew finishes. Ourvisit helped develop our relationship with the chemists responsible forformulating this invaluable resource.As always, Waterlox Coatings Corporation is extremely pleased to be affiliated with Eric Saperstein and his companyas their wood finish of choice, said Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, vice president and fourth generation of Waterlox.Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based products are known for bringing out the beauty and character of wood whileoffering protection and ease of maintenance. By choosing Waterlox, Eric and his team make a commitment to usingonly the best finishes for their projects.http://www.waterlox.com/assets/pdfs/cleveland-paint-varnish-history.2011.03.pdfA L i t t l e W a xf o rt h e W e a rIt was about time we tried a few wholesale/retail efforts so weve decided to put someRenaissance Wax and Waterlox Tung oil displays into a few local venues. So, Willard BrothersLumber of Lawrenceville, NJ and The Furniture Mill of Pennington, NJ are now offering theseproducts! Stop in and stock up if youre local or let us know what you need and well ship! Everyone who owns quality furniture should have Renaissance Wax on hand. Its just the right product to use to maintain the integrity and durability of your heirloom pieces. Wax twice a year, you can take care of it yourself or contact us about our onsite services. Just as a little side note, our new affiliate Michael Pietras is responsible for the wooden shoe laces. Were not really sure if we should ponder over it and think, hey thats freaking cool, or maybe we should pass him a little more work as hes obviously got too much free time! 11. P a g e 1 1A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ew N o w- I t sA l lA b o u tT h eF i s h Aquarium Design Network (ADN) is the culmination of more than 75 years ofcombined experience in the aquarium field. As New Yorks premier aquatic designfirm, they specialize in creating living art for both commercial and residentialapplications. If you can dream it they can build it. Services include design,installation, and ongoing maintenance and care. Darien Odabasi was onsite for thereveal, setting up the installation and stocking the new tank with a range of exoticsalt water fish. ADN works closely with the crew at ATM to produce and maintain theworlds most amazing aquariums. - http://www.aquariumdesignnetwork.com/N a n c yG l a s s P r o d u c t i o n sNancy Glass is a household name, a woman who holds six Emmys! What you may not know is thatthe woman who has appeared on your television screen as a journalist probably hundreds of timesoperates her own production company. They are involved in projects from HGTV to the New YorkTimes to XM Radio while still having the time to unveil their own furniture lines. Nancy GlassProductions is now welcoming Tanked to their program lineup!B e n S a l zP r o d u c t i o n sBenSalz Prod. is a multi-faceted production company that was formed in 2007. They handleeverything from talent management to the creation of reality programming and book publication.The 3 principle partners, Michael C. Skouras, Richard Bennett, Jr. and Eric Salzman bring a wealthof knowledge and diversity to the field. Their latest project, "Tanked!", a realitybased series developed for Discovery/Animal Planet will makes its debut Friday,Aug. 19. This November they will also release a series of workout videos featuring3 of the models from Howie Mandels highly successful NBC game show "Deal orno Deal." Also due early next year is a childrens book based on teaching kids thebasic principles of money and setting goals featuring New York Giant all-pro,Super Bowl champion Shaun OHara. 12. P a g e1 2 A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ew T h a n k s f o r G e t t i n g u sT a n k e d ! Wed just like to say thank you again to Wayde & Brett, the ATM crew, Aquarium Design Networks, BenSalz Productions, NancyGlass Productions, Animal Planet, and Discovery Networks for giving Artisans of the Valley the opportunity to joint them on theirnew series Tanked.Just for fun, we figured wed have a few shirts made up to commemorate the event! With some help from our friends at AztecGraphics of Trenton, NJ it seems we got a winner! Y o u K n o wK l i s e i s I n v o l v e d !Where did Klise Manufacturing come into play with the Sea Chest Bed? Were constantly usingmoldings and accents on our commissions, and Klise provided the detailed rope moldings usedto frame the drawers and sides of the chest. Contact Artisans for Klise products!W i l l a r d B r o t h e r sL u m b e rWillard Brothers Lumber is one of our favorite local sources for lumber, stockpiled with anarray of domestic and exotic hardwoods as well as a variety of evergreens. Willards providedthe material for the Sea Chest Bed, and hundreds of other projects Artisans completed inthe last 35 years. Willards craftsmen will be joining Artisans at The Blending of Art & Wineshow on September 10th & 11th and will feature some of their creations.Willards recently completed drying and surfacing some extremely valuable 375+ year oldquarter sawn white oak for us, they are now processing one of the biggest mulberry treesweve ever found. Were not sure exactly what well do with the mulberry just yet. However, ifwe will be debuting our eleven foot long waterfall bubinga table built from a slab we recentlyobtained from Willards at the show in September.These projects are just the start of a series of collaborations were discussing with Willardscrew. We promised in our first newsletter of 2011 that things were going to get interesting;well be sharing the debut of several interesting pieces with Willards very soon!W CF o r g e & T h e S i g nS m i t hDana Osterman of WC Forge & The Sign Smith handled our request for the plaques featured on the sea chest bed. Keep a closeeye for some more collaborations! Danas shop is located in Washington Crossing, PA, and includes a fully operational hand forgeand, on the other end of the spectrum, a computer controlled cutting system! Well be working with him on several upcomingprojects including a custom gaming table, our bubinga table, and a variety of carving replications. 13. P a g e 1 3 A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ewR e c e n t K i t t e nA d o p t i o n U p d a t e sWeve continued our efforts to find great homes for an assortment ofcritters, twenty-three to date! Dana and Eric took on five all blackkittens otherwise known as hell-kittens. One of the most energeticbatches of cats weve ever had, and given they understood how to usethe advantage of both agility and outnumbering us they oftendominated the house.Fortunately, weve already gotten three of them adopted! Shown to theleft are two families with their new kittens! Meanwhile weve managedto get Mama and her five kittens featured in our last newsletter ALLadopted! Mama found a home with Danas parents Nancy & Steve(bottom left) and two of her sons went home with Danas sister andbrother-in-law Jackie & Rich! (below center)N o o d l e r sF i r s tS w i mFish go in fish tanks, cats go in pools right? Theres nothing like a swim to cool off on a hot summer afternoon, not only for ourDana, but for Trenton Animal Shelters spokescat Noodler! Animals need a release from the heat too, so make sure they haveplenty of drinking water and shade. A baby pool is a great way for a dog to wade in and cool off, or if youre brave, toss in your cat!Dana and Eric have managed to complete twenty-one adoptions in their first year together. In that time they have learned todevelop the temperament of kittens through constant attention, rough housing, exposure to creatures and people of all sorts,shapes, and sizes! Not to mention a few dunks in the pool or bathtub if you get a kitten from us you can be confident youll get awell socialized and playful critter!Obviously no kittens were harmed in this photo shoot, weve had a few questions about our water exercises and we can assureyou, cats CAN swim! Although we cant say no Danas were injured; she did receive a few nasty scratches! Click for TASs Latest Available Pets! http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/tas.html 14. V o l . 2 I s s u e 4A r ti s a n s Q u a r t e rl y R e v i ewA r t i s a n s o f t h e va l l e yH a n dC r a f t e d C u s t o mWo o d wo r k i n gArtisans of the Valley offers museum quality period reproductions, original designs by commission, antiquerestoration/conservation services, hand carving, modern furniture refinishing, onsite furniture repair, hand madewalking sticks, and educational programs. Our website is now over 300 pages, including galleries, feature articles,educational sections, company background, and our new adventure album section. We extend an open invitationto explore our site, and contact us directly with any inquiries or questions you may have.Eric M. Saperstein is Master of Artisans, Owner, Webmaster, Editor, Bookkeeper, Buyer, Office Manager, Legal Pit-bull, and hes in charge of vacuuming the shop: eric@artisansofthevalley.comStanley D. Saperstein, Master Craftsmen, Author, & Historian founded Artisans of the Valley in 1973. Stanleyoffers historic presentations, impressions, and various lecture series ranging from Civil and Revolutionary War,American Folk Art, and Interactive Role Play of Characters sometimes trying to reenact American Chopperepisodes in the shop: woodcarver@artisansofthevalley.comC l o s i n g N o t e sWell this newsletter went off on a few far-from-woodworking rabbit trails huh? We talked an awful lot about fish and fish tanks,not featured restorations, a mix of other companies were noted and quoted, and we profiled an assortment of stuff about TVproduction companies. Oh, and kittens, our trip to Punta Cana, and a silver necklace.So what is the mission of Artisans Quarterly Review? The answer is very simple, its going to include whatever I (I being Eric) wantit to include! Im figuring youre all bored with before/after restorations and gothic furniture by now, so Im shaking up ourportfolio and our newsletter content. The most interesting thing this newsletter, and our blog (yeah I know thats out of date) canconvey is the story behind our artwork, the furniture business, and our lives. This newsletter shared more of our story than ourprojects.The experience we had with this commission for Animal Planet was lots of fun, and it opened up a lot of new possibilities. Well beon your TV screen this fall, and that certainly wont be our only fifteen minutes of fame! Weve got a lot of great projects in play,and if youve gotten to know us, you are well aware wed make an interesting cast of characters for reality TV!Id also like to mention that our relationships with our suppliers and affiliates is what keeps us alive. Yes, we definitely needclients they are the ones who ultimately pay us; however without those who supply us, we will have no means to deliver to ourcustomers. In this issue, we chose to thank and promote several of them for their efforts to help us succeed. All of us at Artisans thank you for your continued support, and your business! - Master Craftsman, Eric M. Saperstein2 0 1 1E n d i n gQ t r Artisans working in concrete and wood? - Yeah its coming!Mulberry; wood youve probably never seen turned into furniture!Bring on the Bubinga Project! - Since itll be at the Sept Show, itll be done to feature!Coverage of Hopewell Valley Winery & Artisans of the Valleys Blending of Art & WineLike we have a crystal ball? - Well feature whatever comes in thats cool! Our studio hours are by appointment. Please call ahead!Office Address: 60 Bakun Way Ewing, NJ 08638 Shop Address: 103 Corrine Drive Pennington, NJ 08534 Office: 609-637-0450 Shop: 609-737-7170 Fax: 609-637-0452 Cell: 609-658-2955 Email: woodworkers@artisansofthevalley.comwww.artisansofthevalley.com For a concise overview of our work Download our Mini-Portfolio!